War changes you.
So does trying to save someone and failing.
In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Army combat veteran, firefighter, MMA fighter, and author James McDevitt for a raw conversation about combat, trauma, purpose, brotherhood, and the emotional weight that follows service long after the fighting ends.
James shares his journey from growing up in a military family to deploying to Iraq as an 18-year-old convoy gunner during some of the deadliest years of the war.
He talks openly about football, firefighting, masculinity, PTSD, identity, and the addiction many veterans feel toward high-stakes environments.
The conversation also dives deeply into the realities of firefighting, including the lasting impact of trying to save a young child trapped in a house fire.
This episode is about more than war. It’s about responsibility, grief, brotherhood, and learning how to live after the moments that stay with you forever.
James’s Book
T.J. Montgomery never planned to go to war - until heartbreak sent him running straight into it.
From the chaos of Normandy to the brutal grind of World War II, T.J. fights not just to survive, but to hold onto the memory of the woman he left behind.
Alongside him are men who become brothers - bound by fire, sacrifice, and the unspoken understanding that not all of them are coming home.
But survival is only the beginning.
Haunted by war and drowning in its aftermath, T.J. finds an unlikely lifeline in Smitty - a hardened World War I aviator carrying secrets of his own.
As their lives intertwine across generations, a deeper story emerges - one of legacy, redemption, and the invisible wounds passed from one war to the next.
Spanning two world wars, A Walk Among Heroes is a powerful, emotionally charged novel about brotherhood, loss, faith, and the long road back from war.
This is not just a story about fighting.
It’s about what’s worth fighting for.
